This paper reflects critically on efforts made to formalize artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech, labour-intensive mineral extraction and processing – in Mozambique. Drawing on findings from interviews with policymakers, representatives from ASM associations and 200 individual miners, the paper captures the details of the country's ASM formalization experience. Findings reveal that despite showing considerable promise at first, the drive to formalize ASM in Mozambique, which spans three decades, has lost considerable momentum. A bureaucratic licensing scheme, overlapping responsibilities at the Estatuto Orgânico do Ministério dos Recursos Minerais e Energia (MIREME), and a shortage of information about miners have contributed to this slowdown. The themes underpinning the efforts to formalize ASM in Mozambique are not new but the case itself has its own unique nuances and storylines.

本文批判性地反映了莫桑比克为使手工和小规模采矿（ASM）（低技术，劳动密集型的矿产开采和加工）正规化而做出的努力。根据对政策制定者，ASM协会的代表和200名个体矿工的采访结果，本文捕获了该国ASM正规化经验的细节。调查结果表明，尽管起初表现出很大的希望，但跨越三十年的莫桑比克ASM正式化的努力却失去了可观的动力。官僚主义的授权计划，在国家统计局的职责上重叠职责（MIREME），以及有关矿工的信息不足导致了这种放缓。为使莫桑比克ASM正式化做出努力的主题并不新鲜，但此案本身具有独特的细微差别和故事情节。